Easton

“You totally did, champ. Well done. I think Elle is serving hot chocolate.”

The kid nodded and left.

“Scar?” Easton asked.

“It’s how my name gets shortened down. Scar. I guess I could deal with Lett, but it doesn’t ring right.”

“How about Lettie?”

She giggled. “That’s not my name.”

“Nah, but maybe it’s what I’ll call you.”

“I’d like that, Ton.” She winked at him.

****

Present day, six months after Easton’s release from rehab

Work kept him busy.

Charity work kept him sane.

Carla kept him from going crazy.

Even though he knew deep down she was his imagination, he liked seeing her. Especially when the pain, the guilt, the shame, it all seemed to meld together. Easton had gone to a private investigator in the hope of finding Scarlett. With no last name, and a camp that had burned down, as well as all of the records of who attended it, there was no hope in finding a blonde girl with green eyes. The man he hired would try to find a connection to anyone with that description, but so far, all the leads had been useless. None of the women the PI had found had actually led to anything of any importance. All of the women were wrong. None of them were Scarlett.

He’d spent countless hours thinking of what to say to her when he finally did see her.

“So, hey, loser,” Romeo said, coming toward his office door. “There’s this new burger place. It’s all veggie and shit, but Taylor’s craving some veggie so we’re all heading down there now.”

Taylor had given birth to a little girl. They’d named her Carla. It was rather fitting seeing as Taylor had come into their life once again purely for her need for revenge. She had been sure they had something to do with her friend’s death, she just couldn’t prove anything. The truth was, there was nothing that needed proving.

His own father had taken care of Carla, and dumped her body in the King’s Ridge lake. Thinking about Nial Long always left him feeling bitter. His father was very much in prison, but Easton wouldn’t be happy until the old fucker died. No matter how he tried to live his life, his father always seemed to be there, taunting him, doing something that would make him stumble.

No more.

“She’s not pregnant anymore. She can stop with all the cravings and bullshit she seems to claim she has,” Easton said, grabbing his jacket.

“Yeah, well, she gave birth to a tiny human, and we all have to suffer through the consequences of that.”

“Of course we do. It’s so fucking lame.”

“You’re still coming?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” He smiled. “The chance at a veggie burger. Yum.”

“Don’t scare me. You’ve already kind of scared me from the fact you love to clean. You even had a new vacuum cleaner arrive at the office, and I saw you using it.”

Cleaning had become his crutch. He loved to clean, to watch his space sparkle, and the scent of lavender was a great feeling to be surrounded by.

“You’re just jealous. You can’t stand me being the clean one now.” He pulled his jacket on.

Karson, Axton, and Taylor were already waiting.

Axton carried the baby in his arms. He wore one of those strap things that attached to his chest. It looked so odd to see his friend carrying a baby, but the smile on his face, and there was no doubt, Axton had found everything he was looking for.

In high school, he’d known Axton’s obsession with Taylor. It had started at a young age. Even when he tried to hide it, there was no hiding the letters or the roses. Taylor had a love of roses, and he’d put a new one in her locker every time he could, with a brand-new letter.

“You ready?” Taylor asked.

“Yes.” Easton followed them onto the elevator, which took them down to the parking lot.

Eric, Axton’s driver, was waiting.

Axton and Taylor climbed in first, and strapped the baby in. Easton was the last one to get in, and he took a seat by the window.

“This is nice. All of us going to lunch,” Taylor said.

“For veggie burgers?”

“I’ve got a craving. I can’t help it.”

Easton laughed. “I got no problem with it.” He was hungry and would eat anything right about now.

Conversations filled the car about the new baby, the new software product. When Axton and Taylor were going to have another baby. If they were going to get a nanny. Easton hadn’t held the baby yet. There had been opportunities, but he’d always passed them by. He didn’t want to hold the baby.

She was cute, no doubt about that, but children were no longer in his future. He’d made a vow to never have kids, to never pass these genes onto anyone else. This was the life choice he’d made for himself, and he wasn’t going to change it.